Controlling mechanism for player-pianos.



B. K. SETTERGREN.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1915.

1,182,223. Patented May 9,1916.

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B. K. SETTERGREN.

CONTROLUNG MECHANISM FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5,19l5.

1,182,223. Patented May 9, 1916.

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wame; v I fizveni-or B. K. SETTERGREN.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

1,182,223. Patented May 9,1916.

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ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3303 K. SET'IERGREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HARRY C.

- BAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR- PLAYER-PIANOS.

Application filed November 5, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BROR K. SETTERGREN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Controlling Mechanism for Player-Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a player piano or other automatic musical instrument wherein the usual controlling buttons or levers are omitted, and the devices operated thereby provided with connections to certain of the piano keys. In this manner when the instrument is power driven and controlled by a record sheet, the expression devices may be operated by the usual piano keys or other manipulative devices by means of which the instrument is ordinarily played.

An object of the invention is to provide a player piano with means for disconnecting the keys from the hammer action, said means controlling devices for connecting certain of the piano keys with the controlling or expression devices of the player action.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the usual controlling levers or buttons of player pianos may be omitted, thus improving the appearance of the instrument in simplifying the same and making it appear more. like a manually operated piano.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvements in indicators for the manipulative devices of player pianos.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly brokenaway, of a piano player constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is an enlarged detail of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 1 shows in rear elevation a fragmentary view of the action 7 rail. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of some of the piano keys showing means for disconnecting them from the hammer action and connecting the same to operate devices for the player action. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5, but with the playing keys removed. Fig. 7 is a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Serial No. 59,751.

perspective view similar to Fig. 6, but shows the key locking bar in its lowered position where it permits the operation of all of the piano keys.

The drawings show a player piano having a piano action, a player action, and pumps for controlling the latter constructed as shown and described in the following patent: U. S. Patent No. 894,899, dated August 1, 1908, for automatic players, granted to G. V. Paulson. Devices of this general class are usually provided, in addition to the regular playing keys, with levers or buttons wherebv the speed of the note sheet may be regulated and the pedal mechanism operated. In the present case such buttons and levers are omitted, and means provided whereby the operating devices ordinarily controlled by such levers or buttons may be controlled directly from the piano keys of the keyboard.

The manipulative means by which the instrument may be played are shown as piano keys 1 and 2 of usual construction, except that a few of the black keys have cut-out portions 3 as shown in Fig. 8 in order to make the key locker bar 4: ineffective with respect to said keys when the locker bar is locked, out of operation with the remaining keys of the keyboard. Key locker bar 4 is hinged as usual by hinge 5 to the fixed bar 6 and is rocked upwardly to permit depression of the keys by means of manually operated arm 7. The particular keys which are provided with the cut-out portions 3 are designated 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 141 and 15 in Fig. 1. These keys in the order named respectively operate mechanism for controlling the soft bass, loud pedal, soft treble, slow and fast tempo, retard, silencer and accelerator. The mechanism under the con trol of said keys is described in the above mentioned patent, but the connections therefor are slightly altered in order that the playing keys may be made operative or inoperative with respect to the same, and the manipulative controlling buttons and levers described in saidpatent omitted.

Keys 8, 9, and 10 control the usual valves 19 in player pianos for operating the soft bass, loud pedal, and soft treble devices, while the tempo keys 11 and 12 serve to operate the rocker shaft 16 through the arms 17 and 18. This shaft through the links 16.1 and rod 16.2 operates the usual speed controlling devices for the note sheet and tempo pointer 16.3. Keys 13, 14 and 15 control the operation of bell crank 20.1, valve 20, and bell crank 20.2, which in turn control the usual retarding, silencer, and accelerator mechanisms.

Each of keys 8 to 15 inclusive cooperates with press buttons 21 by engagement with the upper ends 22 thereof. These press buttons are somewhat similar in construction to the ordinary press buttons at the front of the keyboard in player pianos, but in the present device are located below the forward ends of keys 8 to 15 inclusive to receive motion from said keys.

Each of press buttons 21 is preferably made in two parts 23 and 24, which are hinged together by the canvas hinge 25. The parts 24 normally occupy the position shown in Fig. 3, but when the locker bar is rocked upwardly around hinge 5, the upper curved surface of the members 24 engage the rounded heads 26 of the shanks 27 of indicator tablets 28. Each of the indicators is slidably mounted in one of the black keys, and the springs 29 thereof normally retain the indicators in concealed position in the rear of shoulders 30 of said keys. The tablets 28 of the indicator are lettered according to the functions of the respective keys in which they are mounted when these keys are employed to control the player action.

Fig. 5 illustrates the lettering on the indicator tablets. The locker bar 4 is provided with a plurality of yokes 31 extending around the members 24 of the slidable press buttons 21, and the members 24 are also provided with straps 32 encircling the central portion of the yokes. By this arrangement when the locker bar 4 is rocked upwardly, the yokes 31 engage members 24, swinging the same around their hinges 25 to a vertical position in alinement with the parts 23 of the press buttons. WVhen locker bar 4 is restored to normal position, the yokes 31 engage straps 32, restorin the members 24 to the normal position as shown in Fig. 3.

For the purpose of disconnecting the keys 8 to 15 inclusive from the hammer action of the piano when the remaining keys of the keyboard are locked against action by rocking the locker bar 4 to its vertical position, the arm or handle 7 attached to this bar is connected by mechanism shown in Fig. 3 to the striker bars 33 for these keys. This mechanism comprises a link 34, having an eye 35 through which arm 7 passes, and pivotally connected at its rear end to the lower end of an arm 36 fast on shaft 37 journaled in bracket 38. Shaft 37 carries rigidly arms 39 for engaging depending arms 40 of hinged sections 41 of the action rail 42, as shown in Fig. 4. The action rail 42 proper is yoked over the sections 41 by blocks 43 connected to the action rail by the screws 44 extending through the supporting members 45 for the action rail. Spring hinges 46 connect the sections 41 with blocks 43. The sections 41 have depending arms 47 to which are pivoted links 48 connecting arms 47 with the striker bars 33. These links serve the normal function of guiding the vertical motion of striker bars, and in addition, when sections 41 of the action rail are rocked rearwardly, move the respective striker bars out of coopeative relationship with the spring controlling keys 8 to 15. The dotted lines in Fig. 3 indicate this mechanism in its moved condition. The hammer action indicated by the broken away structure 49 in Fig. 3 may be the same as usually employed in pianos. The usual striker pneumatics are indicated by the numeral 50. Power may be supplied to the automatic playing mechanism through the treadles 51, shown in Fig. 1, or other means provided for driving mechanism.

If it is desired to operate the instrument as an automatic player, handle 7 is rocked forwardly, thus causing the locker bar 4 to rise to a vertical position beneath the playing keys, preventing their depression, with the exception of keys 8 to 15, which are provided with cut-away portions 3 at the location of the locker bar. The upward motion of the locker bar through the yokes 31 positions the parts 24 of the slidable press-buttons or members 21 into operative relationship with the lower edges of keys 8 to 15 inclusive, as shown in Fig. The same movement of locker bar 4 serves to cam the indicators 28 into exposed position, as shown in Fig. 5. The forward motion of arm 7 through link 34 serves to operate arms 36 and 39, moving them from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, to the position shown in dotted lines in this figure. In this manner, the hinged sections 41 for the action rail are rocked rearwardly and through the links 48 make inefiective the respective striker bars 33 for the keys 8 to 15 inclusive. Manipulation of these keys therefore serves to operate the press-buttons 21 for controlling the exposed controlling devices without eifecting the hammer mechanism which is ordinarily operated by these keys when the piano is manually played.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with manipulative devices and a piano action operated thereby, of a player action and means whereby the manipulative devices may be disconnected from the piano action and connected with the player action for the purpose of controlling the latter.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination With a piano action and manipulative means normally connected to operate the same, of an automatic player action. for operating said piano action, and connections between one or more of said manipulative means for controlling said automatic player action.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination With manipulative devices and a piano action controlled thereby, automatic means for controlling said piano action, some of said manipulative devices having connections for controlling said means.

a. In a device of the class described, the combination with a keyboard and a piano action controlled thereby, automatic means for-controlling said piano action, controlling devices for said automatic means, and means for disconnecting the keyboard from the piano action, and connecting certain of the keys thereof with said controlling devices.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a musical instrument, manually operable devices, said devices having connections for operating said instrument, and automatic means for operating said instrument, said devices having connections for controlling said automatic means.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a musical instrument, manually operable devices, said devices having connections for operating said instrument,

automatic means for operating said instrument, said devices having connections for controlling said automatic means, and means for making ineffective said first mentioned connections.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a musical instrument, manually operable devices, said devices having connections for operating said instrument, automatic means for operating said instrument, said devices having connections for controlling said automatic means, means for making ineffective said first mentioned connections, and normally invisible indicators for said devices, said last mentioned means being arranged to cause said indicators to become visible upon an operation thereof.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a musical instrument, manually operable devices, said devices having connections for operating said instrument, automatic means for operating said instrument, said devices having normally ineffective connections for controlling said automatic means, and means for making inefl'ective said first mentioned connections and making said normally ineflective connections effective.

9. A musical instrument, comprising means for manually operating the same, and record-controlled means for operating said instrument, said first mentioned means having connections for controlling said recordcontrolled means.

Signed at Chicago this 2d day of Nov.,

BROR K. SETTERGREN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

